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June 9, 2022
Dear staff and community,
We wanted to send an update on a few things. First, we have some good news to share:
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Our classified staff are officially recognized as part of our union!
In Spring of 2021, teachers and other certificated staff announced our intent to unionize. This March, our classified employees joined that effort. This means that our union now includes academic coaches, custodial, food services, before and aftercare, IT, and many other support roles that help our schools run smoothly! HTH has officially recognized their union, meaning that these staff members can now begin the process of bargaining what certificated colleagues are already in the midst of. Though due to California labor law different employment categories have to bargain separately, it has always been our intent to include as many as possible in our union. We are stronger together!
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Maricela is back at work!
You may have seen us sharing a petition a few weeks ago via social media to urge HTH to get Maricela back to work. Maricela has been a custodian at HTH schools for many years, and was instrumental in organizing the classified staff. Shortly after going public about the union, her supervisor was not giving her the accommodations she needed in order to work (due to a workplace injury.) We were working with Maricela to help her get solutions from the school, but after weeks of delay and not being allowed to work, she and her family were seriously impacted by the lack of income. We circulated a petition in order to increase public pressure, and within a few days Maricela was finally able to meet with HR and get the accommodations she needed. She is now back at work full time.
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We have reached a settlement in Jared’s firing!
Right after we first went public about forming a union, one of the teachers on our organizing committee was fired suddenly. Jared Hutchins was one of the organizers who publicly signed our letter to admin announcing our intent to unionize. About a week later, his director and the CEO fired him, effective immediately. Our union filed an unfair labor practice charge against the school for this firing, which seemed like retaliation for organizing. After over a year a settlement has finally been reached, with Jared receiving a settlement check and access to his files.
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We have reached a settlement in Jared’s firing!
Both Maricela & Jared’s situations are examples of why we formed a union (and of our collective power.) Having a union means having a voice in the decisions that impact our schools, our jobs, and our livelihoods. It means that we are not alone when situations come up, and that we have the benefit of the advice of labor and legal experts. Beyond the connection to expert advice, we have connections to each other. We have seen that public pressure is sometimes the only way to get timely responses. Having a union gives us solidarity and the chance to amplify what individual schools or members are going through.
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At the bargaining table, we are still seeing major differences in approaches to employment status, discipline, and dismissal.
Here’s the bad news:
Currently, central administration is still adamant that they want to keep teachers and certificated staff as at-will employees. This means that teachers can leave or be fired at any time, with or without cause, and with or without advance notice. While our union does already give access to resources and the use of collective pressure in situations where the school is breaking the law (for example, not paying teachers, or not giving ADA accommodations, or retaliation against employees for exercising their legal rights to organize) our at-will contracts mean that we can be fired at any time, with or without reason.
Our union is currently proposing a 2-year probationary period where teachers can be released for any reason (but with severance of 1 month salary for staff released during the school year, and notification by May 15 if staff will not be asked back, to maintain stability for staff and their families.) After the probationary period, teachers would only be released for just cause using a progressive discipline procedure. This means that administration would communicate to teachers how they can improve, and teachers would have the opportunity to demonstrate growth. In our proposal, administration can always suspend or dismiss staff for serious misconduct (presenting clear danger to students, staff, or property.) This would allow us to keep our schools safe while also creating a more stable environment for staff, students and families. (See our most recent proposal here, and all ongoing bargaining proposals here.)
In our most recent bargaining session, our bargaining team asked the CMO why they are so dedicated to maintaining the “at will” status. They have stated that this is to “preserve the ability to keep the best teachers.” However, we have seen the negative impacts of having teachers fired without explanation - even in the middle of the school year. We have seen the staff turnover that comes from being uncertain of getting a contract, year after year.
We need to prioritize stable schools, and it is clear that our current system is not stable. Since administration is proposing to continue that current system, it is also clear that we need to communicate the real-life impact that unstable schools have had on teachers, families, and students.
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Ahead of our next bargaining sessions and the next board meeting, we are gathering testimonials from staff and families. (Here are a few we have gotten so far.)
Why are stable schools important to YOU?
We need current staff, former staff, and families to share their reasons for valuing stable school environments, and how the current environment of at-will contracts, uncertainty, and high rates of teacher turnover have impacted them.
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Save the date:
- Tomorrow, Friday, June 10th and Wednesday, June 29th are our next scheduled bargaining sessions. Please wear blue on bargaining days to show your support for our bargaining team!
- Wednesday, June 15th is the next board meeting, at 5:00pm via Zoom. The agenda and Zoom link will be posted here. Please sign up now to speak about why HTH needs stable schools!
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In Solidarity,
The High Tech Education Collective
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